I've DMed 4e and I PREFER DMing: A poll

[DMJBone]

Given the slant of this poll; I find it plausible that what the OP's "guy" heard was accurate and would echo that from DMs I've talked to.

(Full Disclosure: I'm in the "Prefer 4E" column)

 

[ScottS]

I've DMed small amounts of 3e, moderate amounts of BECMI and 4e, and large amounts of 1e. Out of those, 4e is the only edition that I've preferred to DM rather than PC.

I've played essentially all of the editions listed (BECMI+1-4e). Out of those, 4e is also the only edition that I've completely "bounced off" of.

So I didn't answer the poll. In the abstract, I guess I can say that 4e did an OK job in addressing the "nobody wants to DM" problem, by making it so easy to do. In the particular, I think 4e is otherwise so boring that I don't really want to play it at all, and wound up quitting it entirely.

 

[Belorin]

I've DM'd 1e, 2e and some 3.5; I like 4e better as far as D&D goes.

Bel

 

[Holy Bovine]

I have been DMing 4E since last June and have run every edition of D&D before that except OD&D (sadly). 4E is my preferred system to run now with Rules Cyclopedia a close second. While I would play a 3E game to level 10 or so I will not run one again without a serious overhaul of the system.

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I've run 1e, 2e, 3.x and now 4e and prefer 4e, mostly because the prep time is so much reduced. I don't think I'd go back to 3e D&D again but might run a d20 game like Skull and Bones or Etherscope.

Cheers


Richard

 

[chaotix42]

DMing 4e has been a greater pleasure for me than any other system so far!

 

[Grand_Director]

I prefer DM'ing to playing any edition. I LOVE running 4E.

 

[avin]

DMing 4E is a relief.

 

[Ariosto]

The lump/split of "2E/AD&D" and "1E/OD&D" is a bit odd and perhaps confusing, as "1E" normally refers in fact to AD&D. It also leaves out B/X and BECMI. Oh, well. I'll gladly DM any of the above (pre-3E) games, or a number of non-D&D ones I like.

What I saw in play of the complexity of 3E (which I enjoyed playing) turned me off from even trying to DM it. I'm reconsidering the proposition, but have heard and read plenty from experienced DMs that confirms my concerns.

I found 4E technically very easy to DM with only a little prior experience in play. Rules heaviness and slow pacing are still big factors to me, though, and the combination with some other issues more specific to 4E means that I find DMing rather more work than fun. The kind of fun I find even in playing the game is not what I look for in "D&D"; it's more like a war game, and there are other games of that sort I prefer.

So, to me, 4E is just another occasional thing to do while socializing, a game that in the context can be enjoyable but is not something I would seek out for its own sake (or want to go through very often).

 

[jdrakeh]

Hmmm. If I had to choose between various editions of D&D to DM, I'd choose OD&D or B/X D&D. That said, D&D is actually pretty far down my list of preferred systems, so I voted "Another game system that isn't D&D at all."